Projectile Weapon types
Projectile weapons are physical weapons that use explosions or impacts to cause damage. See Energy Weapon Types for info on Energy Weapons. Please list any you know of here. Bullets Bullets are classic projectile weapons that utilize small, high-speed metal cylinders to damage a person or object. Bullets can also be modified in many ways, such as having explosives. Bullet-based weapons are the most logical and cheap weapons in the BWMC. Bullets have no strategy to counter them, but bulletproof armor can provide a defense. Shells Shells are unguided explosive projectiles typically found in artillery and anti-tank weapons or mass drivers in space. There are many varieties of shells for numerous uses including piercing armor, penetrating fortifications, or shredding infantry. They are most commonly used in the modern BWMC in tank and naval guns. See bullets above for countermeasures. Armour has always been effective since shells can be shattered by sufficiently strong materials. Missiles Missiles are medium sized, explosive guided weapons often used for anti-materiel purposes. They can change course in flight to compensate for changes in a target’s location. Some missiles have built-in detection systems - meaning they do not need the assistance of the course change of the firing party. This is often called fire-and-forget. Other, more powerful missiles, require the use of the firing party’s detection systems to maintain a lock on a target. The term missile originally comes from air combat. An effective countermeasure against missile weapons is that of point-defense systems. Torpedoes (Naval terms) Naval torpedoes are unguided underwater projectiles that are self-propelled and use explosives to damage an enemy vessel. They are most often used by destroyers and submarines. However, Liberon and the NRF/EC Navy makes use of torpedoes in all of its naval vessels, including battleships. In order to combat torpedoes, ships may use torpedo bulges/belts to survive hits or hydroacoustic disruption to force the torpedoes to miss. ''' Torpedoes (Space Combat terms) Space torpedoes are guided projectiles similar to missiles, but are larger and cause greater damage with no loss of maneuverability. Space torpedoes are uncommon but are often used by ESRO and Starfleet. They are also widely employed by the United Socialist Federation of Pegasus Prime's Space Navy. Astronaval torpedoes are also effectively countered by '''point-defense. Rockets Rockets are small, unguided projectiles that simply burn fuel to provide thrust. They are considered the precursor to missiles and were a common sight in 20th-century conflicts such as WW2. Point-defense systems are highly effective at countering these weapons. Mines Mines are stationary weapons that stay in one place (or in more advanced models, move slowly toward a target) and keep a low profile until they are hit by or enter the close proximity of a vessel. They then explode or stick to an enemy vessel and act as a beacon or EMP device. Mine-clearing devices, including dedicated ships, are effective at removing minefields. Bombs Bombs are gravity-propelled projectiles commonly used in air-to-ground combat. They are often dropped as unguided munitions in tactical support and strategic bombing missions but have found less and less use in favor of guided missiles. Bunkers and point-defense are effective at minimizing bomb damage. Flak Flak is an uncommon projectile weapon. It typically refers to a shell with an explosive timer, causing it to detonate after a certain time and scatter shrapnel in the air. It is commonly used for old anti-aircraft defenses such as those used during WWII. Steely nerves are the best strategy here, as fighters are rarely actually hit by flak weapons. Nuclear Warheads Nuclear devices have been used since 1945 and are incredibly common. They are some of the most destructive weapons in existence and have very few countermeasures. They are often used in missiles or as strategic bombardment weapons. If a nuclear missile is used against a ship, point-defense can blow it out of the sky. If it is used against a city, you can deploy a kill spacecraft to intercept it in space or intercept it during launch with a anti ballistic missile. Antimatter Warheads An extremely powerful weapon employed by a select few factions, using matter-antimatter annihilation to create powerful, devastating effects on targets in the form of the massive amounts of energy derived from the reaction as well as the release of harmful radiation. Generally, these warheads are installed in missiles or torpedoes. Point-defense is your only hope to counter these weapons. Proximity Shell Proximity shells, or "pozits" are high explosive Fliegerabwherkanonen (FLAK) shells with radio fuzes that allow for reduced ammo use in air defense, and they spray shrapnel after detonation. They are also used as airburst artillery shells. '''Speed, and/or Composite Armor '''are your best bets here. Railguns Railguns are projectile weapons using powerful electromagnets to accelerate slugs made of durable materials (I.E. Tungsten) to hypersonic speeds with little to no recoil. There are a variety of rail configurations, but the left/right and over/under are the most common. One of the most common railgun systems is the PMRDD's Parrot III over/under twin-gun turret. Your best hope is '''composite armor with intense angling, '''and the rails are vulnerable to High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) shells.Category:Weapons